#was exploring the drawing folder to something unrelated

[sangijazz]

The Narrator is just annoyingly flirty instead of crazy obsessive :3

@godteri-takk I promised to tag you when i got some tsp art, here you go, friend ♡w♡

[iliveiloveiwrite]

Mixtape

A/N: Here is my fic for A Very Harry Potter Summer so wonderfully organised by @the-hufflefluffwriter​ and @kalimagik​! My prompt was summer songs/mixtape. I loved writing this - I got to create a playlist and think of my favourite place in the world. The playlist will be at the bottom of the fic. There are a LOT of flashbacks in this, they’re bordered by asterisks and in italics! I have removed the taglist for this fic as there is content in here not suitable for those under the age of 18. If you are under 18, please read the warnings. I cannot stop you from reading but I will do my bit by warning you all. The smut starts with a boat scene, so that’s my warning for you all. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: summer holidays and anniversaries.

Pairing: Sirius Black x Fem!Reader

Warnings: swearing, mentions of food and alcohol, allusions to sex as well as a smut scene so under 18s, do not read. 

Word count: 3.3k

The September wind is cold and brisk as it wraps around you on your way to work at the Ministry for Magic.

Summer had come and gone in a rush of sun, sea, sand, and Sirius Black.

The build-up to the holiday was something else; he wouldn’t tell you where you were going. It didn’t matter how many times you guessed or argued; he would not crack. He even went to the extent of enlisting Lily to pack your things.

“It’s our first holiday together,” He said one night, his fingers trailing up and down your arm. “I’d like to keep it a surprise for as long as I can.”

The sincerity in his voice was reflected in his eyes, and you couldn’t remain angry at him, “Okay, I’ll just have to wait.”

He flipped you onto your back; pressing the right amount of his weight on top you, enough so you couldn’t wiggle away. He pressed kisses all over your face, “You’re going to love it.”

“I know I will, I’m with you.”

“Sap,” he mouthed before kissing you, effectively distracting you from your inquisition.

-------

Clocking in, you think back to the moment you arrived on the small Greek island:

******

The warmth of the sun settles over your skin as you step off the plane; Sirius close behind you. You tilt your face into the light, feeling all the tension make its way out of your body. Sirius’ hand is a steadying presence as you take in your first sight of the island. You had seen it from the sky; had gripped your seat in fear and anticipation as the plane made its awkward landing – the island being too small for a traditional landing but seeing the island from this level has you breathless from its beauty.

Your leg bounces up and down for the entire coach transfer to your hotel. Sirius chuckles as his hand grips your knee to keep it from bouncing. Your eyes are wide as you take in the full beauty of the island; the constant views of the Aegean Sea as well as the greenery of the trees. Even through the windows of the coach, you can hear the unrelenting chorus of the crickets – their song heavier in the mid-July heat.

The coach stops outside your hotel; Sirius pulling you off by hand and picking up your suitcases. It’s a small family run establishment – as is every hotel on the island. And from your first look of the whitewashed walls and terracotta tiles, you were in love. The eldest son walks you to your room for the next two weeks; he hands you the key with a kind smile, explaining that the attached restaurant is open until eleven that night, but the bar is open until the early hours of two.

He departs with a goodbye and a thank you, leaving you and Sirius to explore the medium-sized room you would call home for the next fortnight.

Upon sight of the bed, Sirius drops the suitcases and promptly jumps on the mattress, landing on his back. His hair fans out around him, resembling a halo. You snort at him in amusement, grabbing your suitcases from where he had dropped them to place them on the small bench across the room.

Flinging open the balcony doors, you leave your lover on the bed to see more of the resort. You hold your head up to the sun, enjoying the feel of its rays of your face. You sigh happily, opening your eyes and scouring them over the resort. The pool looks so inviting as does the restaurant area by the bar.

Arms wrapping themselves around your waist make you jump but you soon relax into the familiar touch of Sirius. He chuckles as he shifts a piece of your hair so he can kiss your neck. You lean into his touch, enjoying the feel of his lips on your already overheated skin.

“It’s so gorgeous here, Sirius, thank you,” You gush, turning your head to press a kiss to his jaw.

Sirius’ hand pats your waist, “Anything for you, my dear.”

You hum, turning in his arms, wrapping yours around his neck. You kiss him for a minute before pulling away. You grin up at the love of your life, “How about we take a shower then go get some food?”

A wicked smirk takes over his face as Sirius drags you back into the room. “I think you read my mind.”

--------

The both you decide that for your first night on the island, you shouldn’t travel too far from the hotel. Instead, ambling down to the restaurant on the beach, hand in hand as you breathe in the night air.

The food is delicious; as is your company. Sirius keeps your gaze as he clinks his wine glass against yours; the conversation between the two of you flowing effortlessly.

Leaving the restaurant, your tangled hands swing between your bodies. You grin at Sirius as you stop outside a heavily populated bar. He beams in earnest before leading you inside.

The wine had gone to your heads; topped off with the cocktails you down at the bar. Sirius drags you into the centre of the dancefloor where other couples are pressed tightly to each other; so tightly you can’t see where one ends and the other begins.

Sirius spins you before drawing you back into his arms. You laugh as your wrap your arms around his neck. His hands find purchase on your waist. You dance together; bodies wrapped up in each other as the upbeat song from the eighties washes over you – the artist singing about an invisible touch.

You fall back into your hotel room; groping at each other. Sirius pulls off your shirt as you undo the buttons to his. Your hands run over the sculpted muscles of his stomach, not missing the way his breath hitches at your touch.

The sex isn’t hurried, but from the alcohol running through your systems it’s sloppy and full of laughter.

It’s perfect.

*******

You groan at the pile of folders perched precariously on your desk. Removing your coat and setting down your bag, you eye the heap with a venomous glare.

The pile of folders has you wishing for the sun of your holiday and the closeness of Sirius.

Opening the first folder, you think back to one of your favourite nights of the holiday:

*******

The young couple clearly fancy themselves the latest duo to hit the charts with the way they belt out the song. You see Sirius’ shoulders shake as he tries to quash the laughter building up inside him.

If only the young couple knew how they were butchering the song about not breaking hearts. Sirius leans over to whisper in your ear, “They won’t be breaking hearts, but they are breaking ear drums.”

His comment has you snorting into your drink, spilling it slightly.

The couple at the karaoke machine finish their rendition of the seventies hit, bowing as they leave the stage. Sirius doesn’t hold back his laugh as he stands up, drawing you up with him. For a moment, you think he’s going to pull you up on the small stage which would be nothing short of a disaster since the karaoke machine would not hold any magical singers.

Instead, Sirius leads you out of the bar to walk by the harbour. He pauses by the war memorial dedicated to the second muggle war; pulling you closer to him, arm settling around your waist.

“Hey, Sirius?” You ask.

Sirius hums in answer; grey eyes bright in the moonlight.

“Don’t go breaking my heart,” you sing, laughing as Sirius’ face lights up.

In his gravelly voice that reminds you of a rock singer from the eighties, he sings back, “I couldn’t if I tried.”

Underneath the moonlit sky, you sing the words back to one another – adding the song to the list of promises made to each other through the years of your relationship; first starting on your first anniversary in Seventh Year.

The waves crashing onto the harbour provide the backdrop to your duet and promises.

*****

Lunch isn’t a big affair; something simple brought from home so you can eat at your desk as you catch up on the paperwork. You pause with a forkful of food on its way to your mouth; another memory gripping you in its clutch:

******

The speaker system attached to the hotel resort plays on a loop for the majority of the day. It’s both a dream and a curse. A dream as you get to know the latest muggle chart songs, but a curse as it’s repeated on a loop.

You sit on the bed, running a brush through your hair. You bark out a laugh as Sirius shimmies around the room, thrusting his hips in time to the beat of the Donna Summer song that was playing for the third time in two hours.

“What do you say, babe? Am I ‘hot stuff’?” He asks, thrusting his hips again in emphasis.

You continue to laugh, fanning yourself, “The hottest stuff.”

Sirius dances across the room to you, laughing along with you.

With a tug of your hand, Sirius is sprawled out on the bed next to you. In a second, he has you pressed into the mattress as he straddles you. His hands run up and down your body as he presses kiss after kiss to your face – your eyes, cheeks, lips. He kisses everywhere.

Soon, the kisses become longer and more insistent. Hands start to pull at clothing; discarding them across the room.

The reservations at the restaurant are forgotten as Sirius’ hands find that spot at the apex of your thighs, and you throw your head back into the pillows with a moan.

For the rest of the night, Sirius reminds you just how hot he really is.

******

As the day continues, your thoughts consistently hark back to your holiday.

The September weather has taken a turn for the worse; the rain battering the windows of your office at the ministry.

Balancing your chin on your hand, your desire for the warms beaches of the small Greek island grows stronger. With a longing-filled sigh, you think back to one of the many days spent on the beach:

*****

You run your hand gently down Sirius’ arm, enjoying the goosebumps that rise in your finger’s wake. Through the tinted glass of your sunglasses, you watch the man you fell in love with way back in Fourth Year. His chest rises and falls in a slow motion; he’s utterly relaxed in this place – he has no worries here.

Sirius’ hair is tied up in the leather band he keeps around his wrist. It elongates his neck and reveals more of his face. You bite your lip at the sight of the fading bruises on his neck, knowing you were the one to put them there on your first night here. Your stomach flutters as you know your neck looks something similar… as do your inner thighs.

The tattoos painted on his body stand out in the sun; the magical symbols and the memorial pieces litter his chest and arms with a fair few on his legs.

He really is something else.

He had always been handsome; had always had the attention of boys and girls alike through Hogwarts. It was expected that you had fallen for him too; realising your feelings in Fourth Year but not confronting them until Sixth Year.

Through your relationship, you had witnessed him transform into the man he is today. A man who will always have a glint of mischief in his grey eyes, but a man who loves you fiercely and will do so for the rest of his life.

A sing from the hotel plays in your mind; a Swedish band singing about kisses of fire, and Sirius’ really were.

The feelings for this man had you burning from the inside out; and you had been burning since you first kissed in Sixth Year.

Your hand runs over a scar on his arm; received in a duel through the wizarding war. That night had been one of the worst of your life; using the entire bottle of Dittany on his arm in panic whilst trying to stem the bleeding. Losing him would be a nightmare unto itself; a thought that you couldn’t even comprehend.

The song continues to play in your mind and the lyrics settle deep within your bones. Never before Sirius had you felt like this; you were entirely infatuated with him, and he you.

As your eyes run over his body; from his tied up hair to the tips of his toes, you felt even more in love with than you were before the holiday.

*****

Instead of apparating home, you decide to take the tube, letting the menial aspects of your job leech from your body as you rest your eyes.

The rocking of the carriage hauls you back into another memory:

*********

The waves lap against the boat. The azure blue of the Aegean looking as if it spans for miles and miles. You hold your hand to your forehead, shielding your eyes from the sun as you sunbathe on the deck of the boat.

It was Sirius’ idea to rent the boat; deciding to see more of the island from the ocean and simply spend the day just the two of you where you couldn’t be bothered.

It was a surprise to learn that he could drive boats, but with a sheepish grin, he explains how he was taught by his grandfather when he visited the family villa in Italy one summer.

The tinny noise of the radio sounds quietly in the background; an upbeat muggle song becoming the theme of the boat ride. The singer croons about how love really hurts without his lover. Sirius surprises you once again by knowing some of the words; he shrugs at your questioning eyebrow.

Sirius anchors the boat just off the coastline of an empty beach. He switches off the engine, letting the boat bob in the water.  

The heat of the midday sun changes the atmosphere. Sirius’ touch starts to linger; first on your shoulder, then as he thumb pulls down your lower lip. He taps your bottom lip once before pressing a kiss to your mouth. You gasp into his mouth and Sirius takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

His hands undo the fastenings to your bathing suit; dropping it to the side with a salacious grin. With a light chuckle, you pull him back down to your mouth, humming at the feeling of his hands roaming your chest. You draw away from the kiss, instead, moving your mouth across his jawline and down his neck, sucking hickies on the way.

Your hands slip into his trunks; he inhales sharply at your touch before pouncing on you with a laugh.

The weight of his body is enough to keep you pinned underneath him, and you wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him further into you if that was at all possible. He braces a hand above you as he rolls his hips into you; you arch your back wanting him as close to you as possible. Sirius sucks hickeys wherever he can reach – your neck, your collarbone, your chest. He takes his time with you, eliciting drawn out moans and groans from your mouth which he swallows with his own. You run your fingernails down his back, leaving behind red marks on his shoulder blades.

In a small boat anchored by the beach, you lose yourselves in each other until your skin is slick with sweat and you’re panting into each other’s mouths.

*******

The holiday defined so much for the both of you. It was needed; the both of you beginning to feel the stresses of everyday life starting to pile up on your shoulders.

The holiday helped you reconnect as a couple, bringing you closer together than ever before. The island would always hold a special place in your heart for that very reason.

-------

The house is quiet as you unlock the front door. Toeing off your shoes, you hang your coat on the rack and drop your bag next to it. The smell of food wafts to you from the kitchen and you follow the mouth-watering scent.

Two pillar candles are lit in the centre of the table. Two plates filled with food are settled on either side, and the love of your life grins as you enter the room.

“Darling,” He greets, “How was work?”

“Long,” You sigh, pecking his lips in hello.

Sirius pulls you back in for another before letting you settle at the other end of the table.

For a minute, the only noise between the two of you are the scratching of knives and forks on plates. You take a sip from your wine glass, letting the crisp taste settle on your tongue before swallowing. You beam at Sirius, “Happy Anniversary, my love.”

He raises his wine glass to you in a toast, “Happy Anniversary to you too, darling.”

Sirius reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a small, silver rectangular box. He stares at it for a minute before sliding it across the table to you.

“I thought we weren’t doing gifts this year!” You cry, “I haven’t gotten you anything!”

Sirius chuckles, “Knowing you love me is enough.”

“Sap,” You mouth across the table, picking up the small box.

“I didn’t want to forget it.” He whispers, watching you unwrap the small box.

“Oh…” You whisper as the wrapping reveals a tape nestled in the small box.

“It’s a mixtape… of the songs we heard on holiday.”

“How did you do this?” You ask, picking up the tape in your hands.

“Well I made a note of all the songs I knew and then if I didn’t, I asked the wait staff when you went to the bathroom. They’re all songs from my favourite parts of the holiday, though I did love it all.”

“Sirius, this is wonderful.”

“Remus explained how to make the mixtape.”

“I’ll need to send a thank you gift to him.”

“You like it?” He asks, insecurity lining his voice.

“Like it? Sirius, I love it. I love it so much, it’s perfect. I’ll listen to it always.”

“There’s a note underneath.”

You look down to see a small folded piece of paper nestled among the tissue paper. You sit the mixtape down carefully before unfolding the note from Sirius.

There, written in his elegant script are the words: “For the best summer I’ve ever experienced. I love you. Happy Anniversary, my darling.”

“Sirius… I love it. I love it so much. I love you. I’m going to play it right now.” You say, standing to pop the tape into your stereo system.

You gasp as the first song begins to play – immediately recognising the opening bars to one of the many songs you and Sirius had danced to on your holiday.

“Oh! It’s the song from our first night when we fought tiredness and went out. We were at the restaurant down the road from the hotel and then danced to this song we had drunk too much wine and cocktails.”

“One of the best nights of my life.”

You hold your hand out to the long-haired man, “Dance with me,” you whisper.

He takes your hand without question, spinning you before drawing you into his arms, holding you tightly. You sway to the beat of the song; letting the memories of your holiday wash over you in a tidal wave of emotions.

Sirius keeps his eyes on you, holding your gaze through it all. He dips his head, pressing his lips to yours for a long, sensuous kiss that has your toes curling and your arms wrapping around his neck to keep him pressed close to you.

Summer had come and gone in a haze of sun, sea, and sand.

But Sirius Black would always be a constant.

*********

MIXTAPE:

Genesis - Invisible Touch (first night on the island)

Elton John and Kiki Dee - Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (Karaoke scene)

Donna Summer - Hot Stuff (hotel room scene)

ABBA - Kisses of Fire (beach scene)

Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You (boat scene)

[saskyaolsen2-0]

Midpoint Evaluation

Introduction

Since the beginning, I knew that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of last year’s final outcome, but I was confused on how I could show the creative maturity I had waded through since that year ago, I was scared to produce the same thing. Along with this, what practice did I want to use? How was I going to link my work to concept design?

The first five weeks of this project predominantly focused on research, with design close behind; I needed to discover the core idea for this final major project. I aimed to uncover the mechanics of process through reading and analysis, as well as professional observation. Another important aim was the assessment criteria, and how I was going to ensure that it was included in all tasks completed. In order to have a successful first five weeks, I knew that I had to understand what my priorities were, as I would then understand what to work towards.

I was unable to see the outcome possibilities whilst feeling so confused and overwhelmed, but I was able to extract my ambitions and work towards those, which was an ideal starting point.

Step by step, weeks 1 to 5

Prior to week 1, I started making some foundations for stage 3 by carrying out an artist research exercise. I also used a holiday trip as an opportunity to collect reference imagery and reflect on the experience through written work. This preliminary basis of work allowed me to discover the headspace I needed to be in early-on, making the work I produced in week 1 more effective, as I had already broken-in the context of my project. I felt empowered in week 1, because I had given myself a head start.

Unfortunately, this feeling didn’t last long; with no outcome idea to give me motivation, I soon fell into a slump. Looking back, I still admire the blind research frenzy carried out during the whole of week 1; the volume of pages I was accumulating was reassuring, and I know that there’s no such thing as too much research! This uncertain period also introduced me to the power of book research, which was thoroughly unexplored in my other projects. Initially, I didn’t trust any novels unrelated to my interests, but I soon discovered how much you can learn by independently applying ideas to your own practices.

The beginning of week 2 was a similar situation as I still had no solid idea. I found peace by simply trusting the process, focusing on idea building and seeing where research lead me. I began feeling braver and ventured into new territory such as the exploration if Adobe Fuse. I would have immediately pushed this workshop aside in the past, but I found the software rejuvenating and I was able to identify the character creation potential in this newly found programme. My open-minded attitude kept consistent after this, allowing me to read ‘Modernism in Scandinavia’ even if it was relatively unrelated to my project. Through this book, I learnt about Icelandic folklore, which helped me write my project realisation, an important milestone for my outcome idea and the most successful piece of work from week 2.

The pace quickened in week three, as I had a new and exciting idea about Icelandic mythology to be explored. I haven’t applied my interests in Scandinavia to any other projects for this course, so my research ideas were bursting at the seams. I quickly realised how much I loved the stereotypical styles depicted through Nordic landscape art, and I knew it was something to use for my outcome because of how immersed I felt for the subject. Applying knowledge to an idea made me feel self-assured; my hesitation at the possibility of my Folklore idea being childish faded as I was demonstrating factual writing alongside my fantasy design work. I reminisced on the doors that Adobe Fuse had previously opened for me, so I got to work making some very basic composition ideas in photoshop.

To my relief, week 4 propelled faster than 3, as I assuredly created a solid storyboard draft and began linking my Amsterdam trip to this project. I was finding puzzle pieces from all kinds of sources, each coming together to help strengthen my ideas on Iceland and its ‘Landvaettir’ folklore story. The two main characters took shape, a giant and a young boy. I was surprised at the method in which these characters were generated; they seemed to just narrate the story the most effectively…a dystopian Icelandic universe where the battle between metal and nature is prevalent in the landscape. I quickly continued on with as much design work for these two new people as possible. As the pace of the project process quickened, I noticed how ‘natural’ the base ideas have been discovered; I just focus on what feels right and fix any flaws along the way. A level of understanding arose in week four, allowing me to find my core ideas and storyline. I confidently worked with cinematography as well as drawn art.

Week 5 was all about ideas finally taking shape; using Fuse and Photoshop for my original ideas and turning thoughts into visual representations. I took a more in-depth look at anatomy, aided by the whiteout tasks I completed at the start of the ‘concept design’ pathway. I turned my character feature designs into a science by focusing on a single limb or characteristic through pencil drawings. Both my characters and environments came to life this week, as I also completed my first digital scene in preparation for my video outcome. This was an extremely significant part of the week as it showed how far I had come since week 1; I had finally accumulated enough self-made resources to happily create a scene including characters and architectural features. I left week 5 extremely proud from the achievements I had started to tick off my mental list. I worry slightly over the time I have left, but all I can do is work efficiently and ensure my work sticks to the key seven assessment criteria topics and to my personal main focuses.

 Strengths, Weaknesses + the unexpected

Within these first five weeks, my strongest piece of work has overwhelmingly been my first digital art scene. This piece of imagery sticks out from the rest of my journal and sketchpad work not only because of the skills and ideas it expresses, but also because of the significance it holds. Within five weeks, I have turned a bewildering project prospect into a concept with enough dimension to create its own atmospheric video, which is now being realised. I can also confidently say that all of the work holding this image aloft has religiously kept to the assessment criteria, from context to presentation.

In contrast, my weakest piece of work has been my filmed work, simply because it hasn’t been shown enough! Within this first half of the project, I have only managed to generate three strong filmed clips on my Tumblr and a single edited experiment, which makes me feel disappointed. In week 6 and onwards, this needs to drastically increase in productivity since these elements of work will be just as prominent as my drawn imagery within the final video. Even if I showcase very basic filmed examples, there needs to be more.

To me, the most unexpected element of my work so far is extremely obvious. This has been the surprisingly useful resource that reading is to my project! I now understand how naïve I was to reading in past, as I have picked up on so much knowledge missed by online research only.  Reading ‘Modernism in Scandinavia’ is also the sole reason I discovered the ‘Landvaettir’ folklore story originating from Iceland, which was from a book that initially didn’t relate to my project at all! I have since learnt my lesson and analysed a book each week, presenting my findings in my journal.

 Looking ahead

With a solid idea to work with, I can now focus completely on creation. Along with my final video outcome, I would like to work with my sketchpad more frequently; this was supposed to showcase my ideas in their ‘rawest format’, but this has been neglected since week three. I would like to make up for lost drawings and mind mapping! This sketchpad is also a good stress reliever and mental organiser, a diary of expression using sketching, all the more reason to make use of this document again.

Along with this, my formal folder needs to start filling up, another documentation of work mentioned in my project proposal. My best photos along with official concept art, storyboards and digital art stills should be compiled in one place as a professional folder. This will work as a clear and organised place to present my strongest work and also demonstrate my project process.

The overall objective looking forward is to start compiling my work. Getting organised now will free up time closer to my deadline, reducing stress and the possibility of rushing with work.

 Conclusion

These first five weeks have certainly been a journey; my feelings of bewilderment have turned into an abundance of ideas for an outcome set to meet my project proposal ambitions and overtake last year’s project as my favourite piece of work. My decision to focus on both film and digital art as well as editing ensures I am contempt at the methods showcased in this final major project, I can demonstrate all that I have learnt in the last year. Through watching professionals and researching into my influencers (along with many other aspects) I have uncovered my core idea and made huge strides towards its creation. I also have a new-found belief in my natural working tactics and methods which have helped me identify strengths and key ideas in my confusion, and turn them into an outcome idea.  I feel extremely happy with where I am moving into week 6, I need to stick with this pace to ensure success!